Latest news with #LondonGeographicalSociety
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Geological report taken out of context to claim that new ocean has emerged in East Africa
Last May, a US magazine reported on a geological change taking place in Africa that could be very slowly splitting the continent apart. A video post recently circulating on Facebook uses a screenshot from the report to claim that a new ocean has emerged in East Africa, uniting Ethiopia and Djibouti. However, this is misleading: The report explains that geological processes in northeast Africa, which could form a new ocean over millions of years, are gradually creating a separate tectonic plate for Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea. It does not state that a new ocean has already formed, nor that Ethiopia and Djibouti are uniting. The post shared on Facebook on August 5, 2025, in Amharic claims: 'Ethiopia and Djibouti are uniting. Scientists have announced amazing findings.' 'The new ocean has been formed,' adds the post. The post contains 90 seconds of footage showing images of volcanoes and rifts in northeastern part of Africa. Photos of Ethiopian and Djiboutian leaders are also displayed. The video begins with a male narrator repeating the headline of the story. 'Ethiopia and Djibouti unite. Scientists have announced tantalising findings. The scientists say that the Red Sea is expanding to the East African countries, which has created a new ocean,' he adds. As the speaker talks, a screenshot of a report appears on the screen with the headline 'This Continent is Splitting and Might Create a New Ocean on Earth". He goes on to claim that scientists confirm that the earthquakes that have occurred in Ethiopia, Turkey and Egypt are creating a new ocean in Ethiopia. 'It is confirmed that Ethiopia and Djibouti are the birthplace of the new ocean,' he further claims, adding, 'The event will dramatically change the shape of the earth'." As he speaks, East African maps, volcanoes, earthquakes and bodies of water are again shown on the screen. In 2005, a dramatic fissure more than 35 km long suddenly opened in Ethiopia's Afar Depression. Scientists said this was a vivid example of rapid crustal deformation and provided real-time evidence of a rift taking place over millions of years (archived here). However, neither the report nor other studies confirmed the emergence of a new ocean. No new ocean Using keyword searches, AFP Fact Check identified the screenshot used in the video. It was taken from a Travel + Leisure magazine article published on May 14, 2025, and titled 'This Continent Is Splitting and Might Create a New Ocean on Earth.' The article explains that tectonic activity in northeastern Africa — particularly in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea — is very gradually causing the land to pull apart (archived here). The article clearly states that it would take millions of years for such an ocean to develop. It cites the London Geographical Society's website: 'In the future, as extension continues along the rift, the rift valley will sink lower and lower eventually allowing ocean waters to flood into the basin. If rifting continues, new basaltic oceanic crust may form along the centre of the rift producing a new narrow ocean basin with its own mid ocean ridge between the Nubian and Somalian plates.' The article does not claim that a new ocean already exists in East Africa, nor that Ethiopia and Djibouti are uniting as a result. No study supports these claims. What scientists have documented is an ongoing tectonic rifting process that is not yet complete and will continue over a vast timescale. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This Continent Is Splitting and Might Create a New Ocean on Earth
Tectonic plates shifting in Africa could one day cause a new ocean to form. The plates in northeast Africa are moving at a rate of .3 inches per year. Once the continental drift reaches a certain point, it could create a sixth ocean in the region, but that could take millions of years to Earth might be getting a new ocean, though you'll have to wait a long time to see it. Due to tectonic plate movement, part of eastern Africa is slowly splitting apart, which could lead to the creation of a sixth ocean in one million to 20 million years. (While a million years is a long time by human life scale, it's considered to be a small time on a geological scale.) What is currently the countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea could be slowly moving away from the rest of the continent, eventually breaking off and allowing water from the Indian Ocean to rush in to fill the gap. This would lead to a separate land mass, new coastlines, and a change in climate patterns and geography for northeast Africa. This area is part of the East African Rift System (EARS), home to an active continental rift zone, where one plate is slowly pulling away from another one. According to research on the plates, parts of the rift are separating at a rate of .3 inches per year due to the movement of magma deep below the surface. Scientists were alerted to its relatively rapid movement due to a large fissure that appeared in Ethiopia in 2005. This isn't, of course, certain but scientific experts believe it's likely since similar geological activities created the Saudi Arabian peninsula. 'In the future, as extension continues along the rift, the rift valley will sink lower and lower eventually allowing ocean waters to flood into the basin. If rifting continues, new basaltic oceanic crust may form along the centre of the rift producing a new narrow ocean basin with its own mid ocean ridge between the Nubian and Somalian plates,' the London Geographical Society says on its website. The movement of tectonic plates can be responsible for volcanoes, geysers, and valleys when the plates move apart, and large mountain ranges when they move together, as well as earthquakes. The last new ocean to be identified was the Southern Ocean around Antarctica in 2021. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This Continent Is Splitting and Might Create a New Ocean on Earth
Tectonic plates shifting in Africa could one day cause a new ocean to form. The plates in northeast Africa are moving at a rate of .3 inches per year. Once the continental drift reaches a certain point, it could create a sixth ocean in the region, but that could take millions of years to Earth might be getting a new ocean, though you'll have to wait a long time to see it. Due to tectonic plate movement, part of eastern Africa is slowly splitting apart, which could lead to the creation of a sixth ocean in one million to 20 million years. (While a million years is a long time by human life scale, it's considered to be a small time on a geological scale.) What is currently the countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea could be slowly moving away from the rest of the continent, eventually breaking off and allowing water from the Indian Ocean to rush in to fill the gap. This would lead to a separate land mass, new coastlines, and a change in climate patterns and geography for northeast Africa. This area is part of the East African Rift System (EARS), home to an active continental rift zone, where one plate is slowly pulling away from another one. According to research on the plates, parts of the rift are separating at a rate of .3 inches per year due to the movement of magma deep below the surface. Scientists were alerted to its relatively rapid movement due to a large fissure that appeared in Ethiopia in 2005. This isn't, of course, certain but scientific experts believe it's likely since similar geological activities created the Saudi Arabian peninsula. 'In the future, as extension continues along the rift, the rift valley will sink lower and lower eventually allowing ocean waters to flood into the basin. If rifting continues, new basaltic oceanic crust may form along the centre of the rift producing a new narrow ocean basin with its own mid ocean ridge between the Nubian and Somalian plates,' the London Geographical Society says on its website. The movement of tectonic plates can be responsible for volcanoes, geysers, and valleys when the plates move apart, and large mountain ranges when they move together, as well as earthquakes. The last new ocean to be identified was the Southern Ocean around Antarctica in 2021. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This Continent Is Splitting and Might Create a New Ocean on Earth
Tectonic plates shifting in Africa could one day cause a new ocean to form. The plates in northeast Africa are moving at a rate of .3 inches per year. Once the continental drift reaches a certain point, it could create a sixth ocean in the region, but that could take millions of years to Earth might be getting a new ocean, though you'll have to wait a long time to see it. Due to tectonic plate movement, part of eastern Africa is slowly splitting apart, which could lead to the creation of a sixth ocean in one million to 20 million years. (While a million years is a long time by human life scale, it's considered to be a small time on a geological scale.) What is currently the countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea could be slowly moving away from the rest of the continent, eventually breaking off and allowing water from the Indian Ocean to rush in to fill the gap. This would lead to a separate land mass, new coastlines, and a change in climate patterns and geography for northeast Africa. This area is part of the East African Rift System (EARS), home to an active continental rift zone, where one plate is slowly pulling away from another one. According to research on the plates, parts of the rift are separating at a rate of .3 inches per year due to the movement of magma deep below the surface. Scientists were alerted to its relatively rapid movement due to a large fissure that appeared in Ethiopia in 2005. This isn't, of course, certain but scientific experts believe it's likely since similar geological activities created the Saudi Arabian peninsula. 'In the future, as extension continues along the rift, the rift valley will sink lower and lower eventually allowing ocean waters to flood into the basin. If rifting continues, new basaltic oceanic crust may form along the centre of the rift producing a new narrow ocean basin with its own mid ocean ridge between the Nubian and Somalian plates,' the London Geographical Society says on its website. The movement of tectonic plates can be responsible for volcanoes, geysers, and valleys when the plates move apart, and large mountain ranges when they move together, as well as earthquakes. The last new ocean to be identified was the Southern Ocean around Antarctica in 2021. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
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Travel + Leisure
14-05-2025
- Science
- Travel + Leisure
This Continent Is Splitting and Might Create a New Ocean on Earth
The Earth might be getting a new ocean, though you'll have to wait a long time to see it. Due to tectonic plate movement, part of eastern Africa is slowly splitting apart, which could lead to the creation of a sixth ocean in one million to 20 million years. (While a million years is a long time by human life scale, it's considered to be a small time on a geological scale.) What is currently the countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea could be slowly moving away from the rest of the continent, eventually breaking off and allowing water from the Indian Ocean to rush in to fill the gap. This would lead to a separate land mass, new coastlines, and a change in climate patterns and geography for northeast Africa. This area is part of the East African Rift System (EARS), home to an active continental rift zone, where one plate is slowly pulling away from another one. According to research on the plates, parts of the rift are separating at a rate of .3 inches per year due to the movement of magma deep below the surface. Scientists were alerted to its relatively rapid movement due to a large fissure that appeared in Ethiopia in 2005. This isn't, of course, certain but scientific experts believe it's likely since similar geological activities created the Saudi Arabian peninsula. 'In the future, as extension continues along the rift, the rift valley will sink lower and lower eventually allowing ocean waters to flood into the basin. If rifting continues, new basaltic oceanic crust may form along the centre of the rift producing a new narrow ocean basin with its own mid ocean ridge between the Nubian and Somalian plates,' the London Geographical Society says on its website. The movement of tectonic plates can be responsible for volcanoes, geysers, and valleys when the plates move apart, and large mountain ranges when they move together, as well as earthquakes. The last new ocean to be identified was the Southern Ocean around Antarctica in 2021.
